Do not judge my story by the chapter you walked in on.

-Unknown

-Luke-

I watched as Maggie ran towards her car and drove off. I furrowed my eyebrows and started to make my way to my car as well. I'm confused as to why she said things would get worse if people knew I embarrassed Ms. Avercill for her, and when I'm confused, I don't stop prying until I get an answer.

There's something that's putting me on edge here and I want to figure out what it is. What exactly are the people here saying about her?

The people in my other schools said rude things about that one girl getting pregnant, but it wasn't as bad as some of the things I've heard about Maggie.

People have been saying that she never cared about her future, but the way she was taking notes after notes during class said otherwise.

My phone ring tone cut off my thoughts and I sighed as I answered the call in a deep voice without even looking at the caller ID.

"Joe's Cryogenics. You kill 'em we chill 'em!" I nudged my phone between my head and shoulder as I started driving out of the parking lot.

"Thank God you answered. Listen, I got two boddies hidden under the bridge at Carter street, and my mother-in-law is stuffed inside the trunk of a beaten down nineteen secenty-five ford mustang convertible. I'll leave the money behind a dumpster in an alley way, got it?"

I widened my eyes. "Woah, chill mum. What did grams ever do to you?" I asked.

"That's not important. Anyways, I was just calling to let you know that I'll be out shopping while your dad is gonna be working for at least two more hours. You can have friends over, just make sure it's less than twenty people. Oh, and if they have drugs-"

"I know mum, kick them out." I interrupted. She snorted and I could imagine her crossing her arms.

"I was gonna say make sure you roll the joint correctly but then again, I don't really want my couches to smell. So never mind, no drugs." She joked. A smile danced on my lips while I shook my head.

"Got it mum. Have fun." She ended the call and I made the rest of the way towards my house. If I'm correct, there's a very comfortable bed in my room waiting to be put to use.

***********

-Maggie-

My leg bounced up and down as I watched the pediatrician check Graham's heartbeat.

When I got home, Sarah was doing what I told her and Graham's face was pale as he cried. I called Dr. Robertson immediately and strapped Graham in the back of my car before driving straight to the clinic.

"Hmm." I quirked an eyebrow as he wrote down on his clipboard. Is it just me or is he holding back the answer just to piss me off?

"Rapid heartbeat." He said quietly as he wrote. Rapid heartbeat... I started twiddling my thumbs and doing my inhale exhale exercise to calm down.

"Pale skin and ragged breathing." Please tell me my baby isn't going to die. I tried to see what Sarah would say if I told her that.

No! Don't think like that Mags. Chill. That sounds like her.

"Yeah, I thought it was that." He mumbled to himself. That's it.

"Is my baby okay or not?" I snapped. I squinted my eyes when Dr. Robertson looked at me in shock.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to snap. It's just that I've never seen Graham like this and honestly it scares me." I said. He chuckled and and sat down on his swivel chair.

"Graham just has a fever and he is going to be just fine if you follow these instructions." Dr. Robertson ripped a piece of paper from his clipboard and handed it to me. I scanned it and nodded before standing up.

"Wait, what's the vapor rub for?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Since he has a fever, he's going to have a lot of snot. It's best if you rub a little bit of that on his chest and upper back before he goes to sleep so he could breathe properly. Keep him in places with cool temperatures and make sure he doesn't put anything unsanitary in his mouth. That could lead to strep throat." I nodded again and placed Graham's shirt back on him.

"Thank you so much Dr. Robertson." He smiled and patted my shoulder. "No problem. Say hello to your parents and Sarah." I smiled and picked Graham up.

He rested his head on my chest and stared at my hair hanging over my shoulder.

"I will. Have a nice day." I stepped out of the room and checked out of the clinic before going back into the car and strapping Graham back in his car seat.

I turned on the air conditioner as soon as I turned on the car and made sure no one was behind me before backing out of the parking lot.

'Earned it' by The Weeknd started playing on the radio and I changed the station immediately when I recognized the song. Graham started to cry and I looked at him through the review mirror.

Out of curiosity, I put the song back on. He stopped crying and laughed as he kicked his feet up. I widened my eyes and changed the song again, only to have him cry.

"There is no way I'm letting you hear that song." I said as I continued driving. I put the volume of the radio up a little when I changed the station. "Look Graham! It's Rebecca Black singing about one of the days of the week. Listen to this instead. It's no good but it's nowhere near sexual." Graham cried harder but I refused to put the song back on.

"No Graham. I will not let you grow up to have a dirty mind." I said sternly as I narrowed m eyes at him.

*************

"- 'Cause girl you earned it, sh**. Girl you earned it, yeah."

I cringed for the millionth time as another cuss word came on and sighed in relief when the song ended. "Graham that is the last time I let you hear that song."

He laughed and I know it was for no reason, but part of me thought it was because he was thinking that there was no way this would be the last time. I pulled up into the driveway and carried Graham inside.

My mom immediately stepped in the foyer and grabbed Graham. She asked me questions as she checked him around for I have no idea what. "Is he okay? What did the doctor say? Is Graham ill? Is it something severe?"

I sighed and took off my flats, leaving them in the coat closet. "Dr. Robertson said it's just a common fever. I have to give him slightly colder baths, make him suck on honey popsicles, and add some vapor rub on his back and chest before he falls asleep. He also has to sleep in nothing but his diaper and I have to keep him in places with cool temperatures." I recited.

My mom sighed in relief and walked Graham to the kitchen, setting him on his high chair.

"You should try giving him baby food again. I have to meet up with Samantha so I'll be back later. I have no idea where Sarah went, she just said she'd be back. Are you okay alone here?" She asked.

I sighed and nodded my head. "Yeah. Say hi to aunt Sam for me. Oh, and Dr. Robertson sends a hello." She smiled and rushed out of the kitchen.

"Looks like it's just you and me buddy." I stuck out my tongue at Graham and crossed my eyes. His reaction was to cry. I widened my eyes and picked him up from his high chair.

"Oh, baby. I'm sorry, I didn't even think any baby would get scared of that. Crap, I'm gonna have to cancel that order for that pop out clown book." I shook my head and rested Graham on my hip as I walked to the pantry and got some apple baby food.

"Everyone loves apple." I mumbled, scooping up some of it with a spoon. "Graham, open up for mommy." I cooed.

He started to fuss and smacked the spoon up, making it land on my shirt. I gasped and he started to laugh when I shuddered after feeling some of the food going down my stomach.

"Oh, you think that was funny?" I asked. I sighed and picked him up, starting to make my way upstairs. "I like to eat, eat, eat. Apples and bananas." I murmured the song as I grabbed a new diaper for Graham and his baby towel. To be honest, I hate that song with all my gut, but damn the rhythm is catchy.

Graham started to cry again so I rushed towards the crib. "I'm coming Graham." I picked him up and walked to the bathroom starting to fill the bathtub with slightly cold water. He is so not gonna like this.

**********

"The ants go marching three by three, hurrah, hurrah. The ants go marching three by three, hurrah, hurrah. The ants go marching three by three, but the little one stops to climb a tree.

And they all go marching down, to the ground, to get out of the rain. Boom, boom, boom." I softly sang to Graham as I rocked him on the chair. It was already eight and he was burning up again, so I gave him a honey popsicle. I didn't think we had some but apparently Sarah started eating them since last week.

"The ants go marching four by four, hurrah, hurrah. The ants go marching four by four, hurrah, hurrah. The ants go marching four by-"

There was a soft knock on the door and I shot my head up to see Sarah. I smiled and gestured for her to come in. "Hey." I said softly. Sarah looked surprised all of the sudden.

"Well look at you smiling wide." She whispered with a grin. I furrowed my eyebrows. "I'm not smiling." I replied. Sarah scoffed and crossed her arms.

"You have a smile so wide that barbie is jealous. What happened today?" She asked. It was at that moment that I felt my cheeks aching.

"You'll never guess what happened at school today." I said. Sarah gasped and sat criss cross on the foot rest in front of me. "Spill it all. Which idiot died first?" I frowned and tilted my head.

"No one died today." I said. Sarah mirrored my expression and huffed. "Then what can be so exciting?" She asked.

"Well, there was this new kid, and he confronted Ms. Avercill about her age today during English Lit. When I walked out of the classroom all everyone was talking about was the new bad kid. I'm no longer the school's gossip!" I exclaimed. I widened my eyes when Graham started to stir and lowered my voice.

"Or at least I won't be for awhile now. Anyways, I thanked him because he had done it after hearing the comments going around about me." I added. Sarah gasped and slapped her thigh.

"No way! What's his name? Where's he from. Most importantly, is he cute?" I rolled my eyes and stood up, slowly placing Graham in the crib.

I grabbed the vapor rub and started to put some on him as I quietly spoke to Sarah. "His name is Luke, I don't know where he's from, and whether he's cute or not doesn't matter." I replied.

She huffed as we walked in my room. I closed the door behind me and plopped down on my bed right beside her. "It does matter though. You need to have some time where you don't have to constantly worry about Graham. You need to go on dates."

I snorted and shook my head. "The last thing I need is to start looking for a boyfriend, Sarah. I already have a lot on my plate and I'm not going to add boy drama to it."

Sarah sat up and crossed her arms. "But a boyfriend would be good for you!" She exclaimed. I hushed her and pointed at Graham's door before speaking.

"I don't need a boyfriend to live. Anyways, let's just sit in silence for a bit. That is what I need." Sarah smiled and nodded. We just stared at the ceiling, the only sound in the room was our steady breathing.

I started to think about how I let Graham listen to that song earlier and frowned. I should've just let him cry. An image of a future Graham listening to that type of music while taking a smoke and having gold chains around his neck with two girls sitting on his lap came to my mind and I widened my eyes in panic, shaking t out of my head faster than a Dominican can speak. I blinked as I came back to reality. "Sarah?" I turned my head to face her

"Hmm?"

"Be honest with me. Am I a bad mom?" I asked. Sarah opened her eyes and rested up on her elbow to look at me.

"Where is this question coming from?" She asked back. I sighed and sat up, making my hands busy by playing with the corner of the pillow case.

"Well, as I was driving back here from the clinic, a certain song came on. I changed it immediately but Graham started to cry. He would only stop crying when the song was on and when I refused to keep it playing he cried louder, so I gave in, and through the whole song I was cringing while he was dancing to it." I explained.

Sarah widened her eyes. "What was the song?" She asked. I squinted my eyes and bit my lip, shrinking back a little.

"Earned it by the weekend." I replied. Instead of freaking out like I expected her to, she burst out laughing.

"I just love him more and more every day!" She said in between laughs. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"You know how you asked me to babysit him a few weeks ago when you had to buy some stuff?" She asked.

"Yes..." I trailed off suspiciously. Sarah laughed and continued her story.

"Well, I let him watch Sesame Street on YouTube and while I did my homework I could hear the words and Elmo's annoying ass voice. I was ready to throw my phone out the window after he started singing about some goldfish until that song came up. Me being me, I was like, 'oh, this is my jam' so I started dancing, then Graham saw me and he laughed before starting to dance too. It was the cutest thing ever so I played the song again and got it on tape. I guess it stuck in his mind."

I gaped at her as she continued to laugh. "Sarah! Why didn't you tell me this?" I asked. Sarah scoffed and took out her phone.

"Chill. If you wanted to see te video so badly then I have it right here." She said. I groaned and shook my head.

"I don't want to see the video. What I do want to know is how in the world that song popped up while Graham was watching Elmo." I scrunched up my nose in deep thought.

"You'd be surprised what pops up after Cailou." Sarah mumbled as she stood up. "I should go to sleep now. I have to wake up an hour early to set up for the play." She said.

I quirked an eyebrow. "You never told me you were starring in a play." She snorted and stretched her arms up as she yawned.

"That's because I'm not. I have to help set up the play scene as a punishment for trash talking the principal." I sighed and shook my head.

"Why am I not surprised to hear this?" I asked as I shook my head. Sarah smirked and walked towards my door. "Because I'm boss. Night!" She turned off my light and walked out of my room. I smiled and got under my bed sheets before letting sleep take over me.

***********

"Noo! Stop, don't!" I sat up in bed and opened my eyes when I heard my name being called by a familiar voice. Sarah looked at me with fear as I breathed heavily.

"It was just a nightmare. Whatever you saw was just a nightmare." She whispered. I squeezed my eyes shut and nodded my head as I felt tears stream down my cheeks.

The door to my room burst open and I saw my mom walking towards me with concern taking over her expression. "What's going on here? What's with the screaming?" I was about to tell her it was a bad dream, but then Graham started crying in the next room. I sighed and stood up to go get him just as my dad walked in the room and started asking questions as to why he was woken up.

I lifted Graham out of his crib and paced around the room with him. He started to calm down awhile after and soon he fell back to sleep. I walked back in my room and checked the time only to see that it's already time for me to start getting ready.

"You want to tell me what the dream was about?" I whipped around to see Sarah sitting on my bed, already dressed. I shook my head and wave it off as I walked towards my dresser.

"Just a dream that I guess most moms have. The government comes to take your kid away. Sorry I woke you." I said.

Sarah sighed and stood up. "I was already up and was about to leave until I heard you. Speaking of which I'm running late. See you later?" She asked. I nodded my head and finished getting dressed in some ripped jeans and a white shirt with horizontal black stripes. My hands were still shaking as I walked in the bathroom to brush my teeth.

I splashed my face with some cold water and got rid of my morning breath before throwing my hair up into a messy bun. There were dark circles underneath my eyes, making me want more sleep.

I grabbed my back pack and slid on some flats before heading downstairs into the kitchen. My mom was sipping some tea and munching on some toast while my dad was fixing his red tie. There was no sign of Sarah.

"Morning." I mumbled. The tension was so thick that t could be a choking hazard for Graham. I sighed after my mom gave me a tight lipped smile and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. As I opened it I turned to fave my dad, who was avoiding all eye contact with me.

"I'm doing fine, thanks dad. How I slept? Oh, great thank you." I said sarcastically. He stopped organizing the folder he had in his hand as he looked up at me with a quirked eyebrow.

"I love how you said that so casual. Are you going to announce your next pregnancy like that?" He asked. Those words hit home and I broke even more when my mom once again confirmed her agreement by staying quiet.

"We'll just have to find out." I walked out of the kitchen and closed the front door behind me as I made my way outside.

I hopped in my car and closed the car before just staring through the windshield.

My breathing was ragged as I gripped the steering wheel and shut my eyes shut. Next thing I know, I was hitting the rim of the steering wheel and just yelling. I stopped once my hands started to hurt and turned on the car.

I hope Sarah's right about them needing more time to adjust.

*************